Broken
by xAlliAnnReidSevilleAndersonx
Summary: Simon's life became a living hell three years ago. No one knew anything about what he was going through - that is, until Dave, Theodore, and the Chipettes leave for a competition for the weekend. (This is a cartoon AU where the Chipmunks nor the Chipettes are related. DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Chipmunks or Chipettes. They belong to Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.)
1. Chapter 1

"Fellas! We're almost ready to start heading out!"

It's a dark and gloomy late Thursday afternoon in April when professional music producer and proud foster father of three thirteen-year-old chipmunk boys, David "Dave" Seville, hollers the above words up the main foyer stairs to two out of his three thirteen-year-old foster sons, Alvin and Simon. The youngest of the three chipmunk boys, Theodore, is standing beside Dave as he's holding and nibbling on a salty soft pretzel.

Since the Chipmunks and Chipettes left the peeping eyes of Hollywood's best paparazzi about three years ago, Theodore hasn't changed all that much other than in the age aspect. He still loves baking, trying to find as many recipes as he can and creating them. He's gotten a little more adventurous in recent years. Of the three chipmunks, Theodore still has the closest bond with his foster father Dave. He's still the best "son", best friend and little "brother" that anyone could ask for.

Luggage bags on the floor surround both Sevilles, showing that they're both ready to embark on their trip with their neighbors and best friends - the Chipettes, who were invited to perform - to the National Junior Culinary Arts Championship in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Theodore became one of the finalists the week before at the state level, beating out one of his good friends in the process.

Alvin is the first of the two older foster sons to reach the top of the stairs, scurrying down the stairs to meet Dave and Theodore at the bottom. Dressed in a red hoodie with his signature yellow A and a pair of blue jeans, Alvin is fully prepared to help take Dave and Theodore's luggage outside to Dave's minivan in the pouring rain.

Surprisingly, Alvin has changed quite a bit - for the better, much to everyone's surprise - since the Chipmunks and Chipettes strayed away from the spotlight three years ago. His body has started to develop abs, due to his trips to his school's gym every weekday morning. He's still a little cocky when he's with his other friends, but he's matured a lot over that time and learned to keep his cockiness (somewhat) subtle and contained. Pranking is almost never on his mind anymore, thanks to his newly found love of video games, and he's been getting into trouble less often (but that doesn't mean he's completely stopped getting into trouble). He's gotten a little bit smarter as well, managing to pass a good amount of his classes with at least a B average, but he's still a bit of a slacker.

Old habits die hard, as they say.

"I'm ready, Dave," Alvin tells him as he goes to grab two luggage bags.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings loudly, startling Theodore and signaling that the Chipettes have arrived with their own luggage.

"Alvin, can you get that?" Dave asks, an antsy tone to his voice.

"Of course I can," Alvin replies as he releases his hold on two luggage bags that are still on the hardwood floor. He rushes over to the door and opens it, revealing the Chipettes - Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor Miller.

Brittany, the oldest of the girls, is still the same self-centered fashionista that she's always been. Her figure has slowly but surely begun to develop itself, and that's started getting the endless attention of all of the boys at Edison Middle School. She's still the life of the party at every dance, sleepover, and school function that she attends - no matter who's there to watch her shine.

Jeanette, the middle Chipette, has blossomed into a slightly more confident (but still awkward) girl. After Brittany gave Jeanette a makeover in the fourth grade, she took a good chunk of Brittany's advice. ("You can never wear too much pink!" is one piece of Brittany's advice she didn't want to follow for pretty obvious reasons.) With Brittany and Eleanor's various trials pertaining to helping Jeanette become the best she possibly could be, the experience had really helped all three girls - especially Jeanette - grow.

Eleanor, the youngest of the three Chipettes, has grown to become more of a tomboy since she left the spotlight with her best friends. She tried every school sport for at least one season a piece, even when things started looking rough. Through this process, she found her greatest strengths in sports - soccer and tennis. Even though she's on several different teams as of now, soccer and tennis are still her favorites.

"Hi, Alvin," Eleanor chirps cheerily in greeting.

Waving charismatically, Alvin smiles at the three chipmunk girls. "Hello, ladies."

"You'll have to help load our luggage into the van first." Eleanor slightly but visibly struggles with more bags than she could handle.

"And step on it!" Brittany adds with her usual semi-narcissistic attitude.

"Brittany…" Jeanette says in response. "Please try to behave yourself this weekend. For me."

"Okay, I'll try my best." She kisses Jeanette chastely on the lips. "For you."

Alvin watches the scene for a long moment, dumbfounded.

"Earth to Alvin!" Brittany shouts to startle Alvin and quickly bring him back to reality. "You still have to load our bags into the damn minivan, remember?"

"Brittany, please calm down," Jeanette sternly tells her as she catches Alvin running luggage over to the minivan at a lightning pace out of the corner of her eye.

"I totally would if I only knew what the hell he was gawking at."

Jeanette sighs in frustration. "We didn't tell anyone about… us… Remember?"

Brittany's eyes widen. "Oh shit, I forgot." She sighs. "I really hope Alvin's not homophobic."

"I highly doubt it. He just seemed surprised because he didn't expect it."

"Didn't expect what?" Theodore, who had embarked outside to help stash the luggage in the van, asks.

"Theodore!" Brittany and Jeanette simultaneously reply out of surprise of their own.

"Sorry, we didn't see you come over here," Jeanette told him. "Well, what Alvin hadn't expected was that Brittany and I are, um… in a relationship now."

Theodore giggles. "You mean you guys like each other more than as friends?"

A blush creeps onto Jeanette's cheeks as she gently grabs a hold of Brittany's hand. "Yes."

"Really? Aw, that's so sweet! You girls look so pretty together! I hope you guys stay together as a couple for a very long time." He hugs them both tightly.

"Hey, guys," came Simon's slightly depressed voice from the front door, though he still gave the group a smile. He walks a few feet from the door towards the still-hugging Theodore. "Alvin, Dave wants to see you and Eleanor for a minute."

Out of all six of them, Simon is the one that has changed in the most negative ways. He's lost interest in reading and performing science experiments, he doesn't look forward to school as much as he used to, and he shuts himself in his bedroom for hours at a time without talking to anyone - even Dave.

Everyone is hoping that this is just a phase that Simon is going through, but one can never be too sure.

Alvin closes the trunk to Dave's minivan, meaning all of the luggage is packed inside. "You got it," he replies as he and Eleanor bolt inside to get away from the rain.

Simon makes his way to the three still outside. "What's going on over here?"

The three turn to face him, a blush apparent on Jeanette. "We have something that we need to tell you," Jeanette says.

"What's that?"

Jeanette and Brittany step forward hand in hand. "Brittany and I are dating now."

Simon smiles warmly and hugs them. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"…That was not the response I was expecting at all," Jeanette admits wholeheartedly.

Releasing from the hug as normal, Simon furrows his eyebrows. "What were you expecting?"

"Honestly, I was expecting you to run and not look back because I thought you still had a crush on me."

Simon looks her in the eye softly. "Jeanette, we've been through this conversation before - I have my eye on someone else. You're still special to me, but if Brittany makes you happy, I'll be happy."

Jeanette smiles brightly at him. "Okay." She grips Brittany's hand tightly. "Thank you, Simon."

"Of course."

All of a sudden, everyone is back together outside. "It's time to go, everybody."

Theodore goes to hug both Alvin and Simon. "Bye, guys."

"Bye, Theo," Alvin replies as Simon stays silent without saying goodbye.

Just as soon as Theodore releases from the group hug, Alvin and Simon are bombarded by hugs from the Chipettes, who all say their goodbyes and quickly let go, waving as they go over to the minivan.

"Good luck!" Alvin shouts as the car revs up and drives away, Simon waving next to him.

The second the minivan is out of both Alvin and Simon's range of sight, Alvin and Simon stand in silence for a moment.

"So…" Alvin begins, "…what now?"

Uncharacteristically and with more depression in his demeanor than usual, Simon shrugs. "I have homework I need to finish." He slowly walks back over to the front door. "Come on, we should get inside."

Alvin nods and walks behind Simon, following him inside and shutting the front door behind him.

"I'm heading back upstairs to my bedroom if you need me," Simon tells Alvin before he heads up the main stairs and out of vision.

"Something is very wrong with Simon," Alvin observes under his breath, "and I need to find out what."


	2. Chapter 2

Four hours later, at around ten o'clock at night, Alvin is sitting on his bed reading a music magazine when he hears soft piano music playing from Simon's bedroom. This quickly led to something else he hasn't expected today: Simon singing.

_**I can hold my breath**_

_**I can bite my tongue**_

_**I can stay awake for days**_

_**If that's what you want**_

_**Be your number one**_

Alvin instantly recognized the lyrics. It was Christina Perri's new single, "Human", and Simon's voice had managed to match the song perfectly.

_**I can fake a smile**_

_**I can force a laugh**_

_**I can dance and play the part**_

_**If that's what you ask**_

_**Give you all I am**_

_**I can do it**_

_**I can do it**_

Alvin was very intrigued and somewhat enchanted by this performance, and he mentally resolved to take a closer look.

_**I can do it**_

_**But I'm only human**_

_**And I bleed when I fall down**_

_**I'm only human**_

_**And I crash and I break down**_

_**Your words in my head, knives in my heart**_

_**You build me up and then I fall apart**_

_**'Cause I'm only human**_

Alvin was outside of Simon's room now, the door open to reveal Simon looking out into the night sky, his hand on the glass of the window as he continued to sing.

_**I can turn it on**_

_**Be a good machine**_

_**I can hold the weight of worlds**_

_**If that's what you need**_

_**Be your everything**_

_**I can do it**_

_**I can do it**_

It was only just now that Alvin could clearly see Simon's reflection in the window. Simon is very stressed and upset, at least by what Alvin can see. His face is slightly worn, his eyes are hazed over, and it looks like he's about to cry any second.

Alvin is **praying** that Simon won't cry, at least, despite the efforts to fight back his own tears due to the sheer beauty of the song.

_**I'll get through it**_

_**But I'm only human**_

_**And I bleed when I fall down**_

_**I'm only human**_

_**And I crash and I break down**_

_**Your words in my head, knives in my heart**_

_**You build me up and then I fall apart**_

_**'Cause I'm only human**_

_**I'm only human**_

Alvin notices that Simon's voice begins to falter dramatically, and unfortunately, his fear is confirmed.

_**I'm only human**_

_**Just a little human**_

_**I can take so much**_

_**'Til I've had enough**_

Both of their tears start to fall.

_**'Cause I'm only human**_

_**And I bleed when I fall down**_

_**I'm only human**_

_**And I crash and I break down**_

_**Your words in my head, knives in my heart**_

_**You build me up and then I fall apart**_

_**'Cause I'm only human**_

Out of both of them, Alvin is the first to speak. "That was absolutely beautiful," he says between sniffles and only a few silent tears. "I think that's the best performance you've ever done."

Simon slowly turns around to face Alvin, his eyes flooded.

Alvin slowly walks into Simon's bedroom, closing the door softly behind him as he wipes all of his tears away and makes his way over to the bed. "May I?" he whispers loud enough for Simon to hear.

Tears rolling down his eyes, Simon nods.

Gently, Alvin sits down on the edge of Simon's bed, opening his arms.

Simon immediately goes over and wraps his arms around Alvin, who does the same to Simon.

"Do you need to cry?" Alvin whispers softly.

All Simon can do is nod as he starts to break down in Alvin's arms.

"It's okay, Simon." Alvin slowly tightens his grip on him. "Go ahead and let it out. I'm right here. I've got you."

Even after half an hour, the tears don't stop.

It pains Alvin to see Simon of all people have a huge emotional breakdown. He doesn't exactly know why, but seeing tears in Simon's bespectacled silver eyes always made him upset to the point of tears because of the thought of someone physically and emotionally hurting Simon.

Despite his best efforts, Alvin can't fight back his own tears, though his are few, far between, and silent. He and Simon both end up falling on Simon's bed, crying and still in each others' arms. They would spend the rest of the night like this after they had both done their fair share of letting their emotions out.

* * *

_**I can lift you up**_

_**I can show you what you want to see**_

_**And take you where you want to be**_

_**You can be my-**_

Simon sleepily presses the dismiss button on his cell phone's alarm. He sighs quietly, gazing up at the ceiling without his glasses on.

Alvin stirs awake next to him. "Mornin'," he says just before he lets out a moderate yawn.

"Morning," Simon replies. "What the hell happened last night?"

"You can't remember anything?"

Simon slowly sits up. "Of course I do. It's just… It's just a bit of a blur." He feels a shift in the bed, caused by Alvin attempting to sit up right next to him. "I remember that I was singing karaoke last night after I couldn't concentrate on homework, and after that, you walked in… Why did you come into my room while I was singing last night?"

Alvin sits there silent for a moment, trying to answer the question. "I'm not sure… Maybe it was because I had a feeling that something was wrong. The song you chose was sort of a giveaway."

For the first time in what felt like weeks, Simon stifles a chuckle and shows a small smile. "You're kind of right." He reaches over to grab his glasses that are somehow still clean and intact on his bed. He slowly opens them and puts them on, allowing him to see clearly.

That's when Alvin's bright blue eyes catch Simon's attention.

Believe it or not, this happens more than anyone on the outside looking in actually realizes. Simon is actually captivated by Alvin on a daily basis, especially because of Alvin's eyes. He does his best to hide it, though, because he doesn't want any of his bullies to find out. After dealing with these bullies for a couple of years, Simon's learned to fake being okay.

Unfortunately, that façade had faltered last night, but at least it wasn't in front of his bullies.

Simon is very afraid of what's to come when he tells everyone, however. When he said yesterday that he had his eye on someone, no one but him had known that he meant that person to be Alvin. If anyone found out - especially his bullies and probably Alvin himself - they would certainly shun him and influence the rest of the school to do so as well.

The thought of Alvin not understanding - never mind not loving him back - makes Simon depressed.

However, there's still hope. There's one chance that Alvin would humor him at least, based on his behavior from last night and if it would continue. That hope is like a chance at defying gravity, and all he has to do is close his eyes and take that leap of faith.

"Simon, are you okay?" Alvin asks, bringing Simon back to reality.

A faint blush fills Simon's cheeks. "Y-yeah," he replies. "Everything's fine."

There's a look on Alvin's face to show that he isn't believing what Simon is saying. "Why were you staring at me like that, then?"

_Damn it!_ Simon was hoping Alvin wouldn't ask that.

Simon struggles to give a response for a brief moment before he says, "Your eyes… They have a new sort of… sparkle to them today." It wasn't a lie. Alvin's eyes did seem brighter today than they had been before.

Now it's Alvin's turn to blush.

"But, uh…" Simon interrupts as Alvin wants to say something. "We should really get ready for school."

As quickly as it came, Alvin's blush fades. "Yeah, totally," he agrees as he bolts from Simon's bedroom and into his own.

Simon breathes a sigh of relief. _That was close, but I'm not sure how long I can keep this up…_

It doesn't take long for the two boys to get ready for school. Of course, it won't take that long to prepare breakfast this morning - Theodore usually did all of the preparation for breakfast on a school morning, and without him at home today, there probably wouldn't be anything needing more preparation than waffles or toast.

"Are you ready to talk about what happened to you last night?" Alvin asks calmly as he stands by the microwave waiting for their pancakes to come out.

The question catches Simon off guard even though he knew it was coming. "As ready as I'll ever be," he replies, looking down at his folded hands on the table. "I would just like to wait until we leave the house before I speak of what happened to me last night."

Alvin nods. "Sure." The microwave beeps, and Alvin quickly takes the pancakes out to distribute them and cover them in maple syrup.

Breakfast passes by in silence for the two boys, Alvin and Simon constantly gazing at each other and trying to guess what the other is thinking.

When the silent breakfast is finally over, Alvin and Simon leave to embark on their journey to school.

As soon as Alvin locks the door and the two leave the front porch, Alvin puts his hand around the back of Simon's neck. "So…" Alvin begins. "Are you ready to talk about this now?"

Simon nods, twiddling his thumbs. "Like I said, I'm as ready as I'll ever be to talk about it." He takes out his iPhone and goes to unlock it, seeing that someone has just left him a text message. He sighs loudly. "Hold on." He unlocks his phone, and when he gets to his text messages, his face falls.

"Is something wrong?"

All Simon can do is put his phone in his pocket. "Yes. Pretty much everything having to do with school is wrong. A place I used to love has no longer sheltered me with safety."

Once again, Alvin finds himself dumbfounded by Simon. "Dude, what the hell has been happening to you during school? You sound like you're going through torture in a place that's supposed to be safe... For you, anyway."

Simon doesn't reply as they keep walking.

"You have to tell me what's going on with you, Simon," Alvin continues with a worried tone. "I don't like it when you hide things from me. I only want to help you."

Taking a slow and deep breath, Simon prepares to reply. "I would love to tell someone - especially you - what's going on with me, but I'm… I'm afraid of what people will say if they knew."

Alvin sighs. "Listen, you know I won't laugh at you for anything you tell me. I'm always here for you, no matter what crap life decides to give you." He quickly pulls out his iPhone. "Tell you what: my phone is gonna be on all day. Feel free to text me and check in with me all day today, alright?"

It definitely seems like a good idea to Simon, but he's not fond of texting during his classes.

Simon nods. "You know how I feel about texting during school, but if it's for my own protection, it's... well worth doing today of all days, I guess."

Alvin pats Simon's shoulder, a smile on his face. "That's the spirit. You know the saying 'keep calm and carry on'? That has to be your motto for the entire day today."

They reach the front entrance of Edison Middle School, Simon audibly and visibly gulping at the sight of the door.

"Simon," Alvin says softly, "breathe."

Closing his eyes, Simon takes the slowest and deepest breath possible before he gradually walks up to and through Edison's double doors. He feels Alvin's eyes on him the entire time, knowing full well that even with Alvin's help today, he'll still be physically alone like he's always been.

Thankfully, there's no incident and no more hurtful texts before he gets to his first period History class. He figures Nathan and his posse must be having an early practice - he and his football jock friends are usually slamming Simon face first into lockers by now.

Even with the small reprieve from his torment, Simon can't concentrate a single bit on the history lesson. He really wants to be able to - considering he's wanted to study Buddhism for a while now - but he can't.

He decides that now is as good a time as any to text Alvin. He covertly pulls out his phone from his pocket, trying his best not to not get caught by Ms. Randall's watchful eyes. He texts "hi" as fast and as silently as he can before locking his phone and placing it between his kneecaps so he can feel it vibrate when Alvin responds.

A minute later, the vibration goes off. Simon quickly goes to obtain his phone, and he unlocks it to see that Alvin replied.

Hey, Si.

Can't concentr8?

The nickname throws Simon off. Since when does he call me that? I've never heard him use it around me before…

Curveball aside, Simon goes to text Alvin back.

Not in the slightest.

I really want to, but I just can't.

Simon locks and hides the phone again, waiting until Alvin gives another response. Soon enough, it comes.

I'd try 2 help, but I really need 2 get through Geometry without incident, or Mr. Malcolm will put me in detention again.

Text me back next period, okay?

Now, Simon is even more confused than before. He's never used the word "incident" or cared about school rules at all around anyone, especially around him.

_What's gotten into him?_

Simon texts back a quick "okay" before trying to get some work done.

This entire morning so far seems very weird to Simon. First, Ryan and his posse don't show up. Secondly, Alvin is acting stranger than he usually is (which is actually saying something, considering the fact that Alvin is usually very… quirky and strange in his own right). He has absolutely no idea what to do.

First period passes by soon enough, and thankfully, no one noticed Simon texting from earlier in the class. Simon is walking as quickly as he can to his second period Spanish class when he receives another text. This one, however, is unfortunately not from Alvin.

It's from Nathan.

Third period in the main hallway. I'll find you.

Don't be late, faggot.

Simon feels tears filling up his eyes, but he forces them back. _Alvin told you to keep calm. Don't let him down._

Looking straight ahead, Simon puts his phone away and walks slowly toward his Spanish class. He's dreading the walk to his Fundamentals of Physics class next period; unfortunately, he has no choice to pass through the main hallway to get there.

He's screwed.

Simon eventually makes it to Spanish with seconds to spare before he's considered late. As soon as he enters, Mr. Zicones gives Simon a disappointed look as he goes to sit at his desk.

Although Spanish isn't his favorite class, Simon wishes it would last the whole day. He'd give almost anything not to walk down the main hallway after this class finishes.

Feeling anxious, Simon sends a quick text to Alvin:

Hi. I need your help.

It doesn't take long for Alvin to reply:

What's going on?

Simon raises his hand and hides his phone.

Mr. Zicones turns to see that Simon's hand is raised. _**"¿Sí?"**_

_**"¿Puedo ir al baño, por favor?"** _Simon asks rather quickly due to his anxiety.

Silently, Mr. Zicones gives a short nod, and Simon is immediately out the classroom door.

When Simon realizes that the hallway is empty, he bolts for the boys' bathroom as he texts Alvin back:

Nathan's going to possibly kill me on my way to third period…

Or sooner, because knowing him, he likes to plan his strikes for earlier than expected.

Simon reaches the bathroom as Alvin replies:

The hell, he's gonna hurt u! I'm gonna b there because Nathan needs 2 b put in his place big time.

Where are u right now?

Although the bathroom is empty, Simon goes to hide in a bathroom stall. He's in panic mode as his text conversation with Alvin continues.

Boys' bathroom on the first floor in the languages wing.

Simon can feel his hands shaking viciously as his internal fear grows and as he waits for Alvin's reply.

I'm coming. Don't move.

Truthfully, Simon is only slightly relieved at Alvin's gesture. He is, however, very surprised by it. This is one of the most chivalrous things that anyone - never mind Alvin - has ever done, which in all honesty confuses the hell out of him even more and piles onto his inflating sense of terror.

At least a solid minute later, Simon can hear someone walking up the hallway. He's silently praying to God that it's Alvin, but he can never be too sure. The walking gets louder and reaches its peak volume as the creator of the running enters the bathroom. Looking under the stall, he notices a pair of sneakers on the runner that he knows he's seen before. He debates opening the stall door to see who it was, but he doesn't know who's on the other side.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Simon opens the bathroom stall.

He immediately regrets it. Of all the people that he expected on the other side, it has to be Nathan.

Of **course**.

Nathan immediately spots Simon opening the stall. "Looks like you came early for our scheduled beating, faggot."

Simon freezes in fear.

Grinning evilly, Nathan fishes through his pocket and pulls out a pocket knife, inching ever closer to Simon. "Time for me to leave my mark on your scrawny ass."

"Over my dead body, you asshole," retorts another voice in response.

Startled, both Nathan and Simon quickly look over to see Alvin.

"You better leave him the hell alone, Nathan," Alvin continues as he closes the door to the bathroom.

"And what if I don't?" Nathan asks in a quick response.

Rolling up the sleeves of his red hoodie, Alvin visibly looks more vicious. "Then I'll have to show you who runs this place when I kick your ass."

Simon couldn't believe it. Here he is watching the boy of his dreams fight off his biggest bully. It feels so surreal to him.

Alvin slowly steps over towards Simon. "Nobody - and I mean fucking **nobody** - hurts my best friend. You lay even a finger on him again, and I swear to God, you will fucking drop dead where you stand when I'm done with you. Do I make myself clear?"

Nathan has had enough. Gripping the knife like a dagger, Nathan switches his target and goes to slash at Alvin instead. Alvin does the best he can to fend off Ryan's wild swings, but Nathan manages to slash Alvin a few times enough to just make him bleed lightly.

Finding a weird rush of courage, Simon gets up and immediately tries to stand in front of Nathan to protect Alvin. "Stop hurting him, you asshole!" Simon yells as he tries to get Alvin out of harm's way. This leads to Ryan creating a huge knife wound along Simon's entire arm. No vital veins or other vital parts of the affected area are harmed, but Simon starts to bleed profusely.

Suddenly, there are teenage boys and male teachers surrounding the three, most of which are pinning down Nathan and taking away his now bloody knife. Two teachers check on Alvin, who has only minor cuts. When Alvin looks to see Simon with his injuries, he takes Simon into his arms after wrapping Simon's arm in paper towels.

That's the last thing that Simon can remember before he loses consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Simon gradually opens his eyes about three hours later when he regains consciousness. He sees that he's in a hospital bed, his arm wrapped in a bloody towel. Alvin is quietly sitting on a chair next to Simon, rubbing the hand of his uninjured arm.

"Hey, Si," Alvin says in greeting.

Feeling the gentle warmth of Alvin's hand, Simon smiles. "Hey, Alvin." Merely seconds after those words escaped his mouth, he realized what happened to him before he blacked out. "What happened after I lost consciousness?"

Alvin stands up, still not letting go of Simon's hand. "Well, Nathan got arrested," Alvin tells him. "They nabbed him on aggravated assault."

Simon breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"He's going away for a very long time." He sits down and repositions himself on the chair to get more comfortable, not even looking away from Simon once. "How are you feeling?"

Simon sighs. "Feeling better, I guess. Just really tired due to losing a bit of blood, i guess, and thankful that Nathan is gone."

"I can only imagine."

A nurse peers into the room, a clipboard and pen in her hands. "Okay, Simon, we still have some tests we need to run, but when those are all finished, you're free to go back home."

"Thank you," Simon replies softly before the nurse turns to leave. As soon as she's gone, Simon takes a deep breath. "We really need to talk… I have a lot that I desperately need to tell you. I feel like I need to give you an explanation."

Alvin nods in understanding. "Okay. Do you want to have that conversation here?"

Simon shakes his head slowly and somewhat painfully. "I'd much rather have it at home. I won't feel like I'm being watched there."

Once again, Alvin nods. "Sure. Is there anything I can do for you right now?"

After a slow exhale, Simon is able to speak. "Yeah, but it's sort of a, um… weird request."

"Try me."

Simon gulps inaudibly. "Do you mind… lying down on this bed next to me? Just for a minute or so?"

Alvin smiles softly and gently brushes his hand over Simon's hair. "Of course." He climbs up onto the side of the bed where Simon's good arm is and lies down. "This is actually really nice."

"Yeah, it is."

They stay like this for about half an hour, listening to the patients and nurses walk by and trying to watch the end of the episode of Law and Order: SVU on the room's television (even though they've each seen the episode half a dozen times already).

Around the time that the episode ends, Simon's nurse comes in again. "Okay, Simon, all of your tests have been completed. You're free to go home now. Just make sure that you clean the wounded area the best you can every few hours, okay?"

Simon nods as he sits up. "Yes, ma'am." He slowly maneuvers around to get off the bed and stands up slowly.

"Thank you very much," Alvin says just before he and Simon exit the room and head to the lobby.

Alvin and Simon are fairly quiet as they make their way to the lobby to check out. Simon immediately puts in a pair of earbuds and turns on his iPod while Alvin signs the paperwork so that Simon can leave. As soon as everything is squared away, the boys leave the building in silence.

Considering the house is about an hour away by foot, Alvin leads Simon to the bus stop so that they can get a ride back home. The city bus drops off riders merely moments after they arrive and sit down at the bus stop. After all of the riders have exited the bus, Alvin and Simon quietly board and pay the one-dollar fee before they go to sit in the back.

Like most of the day since they went to the hospital, the thirty-minute bus ride is soundless except for rain starting to fall, quickly increasing its pace and volume as the ride goes on.

Once the city bus nears the end of their street, Alvin pulls the wire that signals a stop needing to be made. He gently nudges Simon, who fell asleep on Alvin's shoulder.

"Si," Alvin whispers, "wake up. We're almost home."

The city bus pulls to a slow stop as Simon slowly opens his eyes, trying to shake off the wave of nerves that's washing over him.

Once at a full stop, Alvin and Simon get off the bus, walking up the street to the house.

"When are you going to be ready to talk to me about everything that you felt you needed to explain to me?" Alvin asks as they reach the front porch.

Simon pauses the current song on his iPod. "Whenever I can arrange my words correctly without breaking down in tears," he replies. "I don't have the capacity to do that right now."

Alvin nods as he slowly unlocks the front door with his house key. "I understand." The door squeaks open and the boys head inside. "Just come to my room when you're ready to talk about everything, okay?"

Unexpectedly, Simon nods and hugs Alvin tightly. "Thank you so much, Alvin. For everything."

"You're welcome."

"I'll tell you everything in a little while, okay?"

"Okay."

Simon lets go of the hug and makes his way up the foyer stairs, taking slow deep breaths as he tried to combat his nerves again.

* * *

Several hours later, Simon exits his bedroom and walks across the hall to Alvin's room.

_Okay,_ Simon thinks to himself. _It's about time Alvin knew the truth. Just stay as calm as you can and you'll do just fine._

Simon takes a deep breath and knocks with a quiet rhythm on Alvin's bedroom door.

"Come in!" Alvin hollers.

Opening the door, Simon is fighting back nerves again. He doesn't know how Alvin is going to react when he says everything he desperately needs to tell him, and quite frankly, that scares him to death.

Alvin looks up from another one of his magazines and smiles. "Hey, Si," he says in greeting.

Simon waves. "Hey… I think I'm ready to talk now."

Closing his magazine and tossing it aside, Alvin quickly sits up on his spot on the bed. "We talkin' here or in your room?"

"In my room."

"Okay." Alvin stands up and neatens his bed. "Let's go."

Simon quietly follows Alvin as they go back into Simon's bedroom.

As soon as they're both inside the room, Alvin closes the bedroom door. "So, uh… Let's get this started, shall we?"

"You don't have to be so nonchalant about it, Alvin," Simon retorts in a deadpan voice.

Sighing, Alvin shakes his head. "Sorry, Si. Start whenever you're ready."

Making himself comfortable on his blue linen-covered bed, Simon nods and invites Alvin over to sit on the bed across from him. He watches as Alvin makes himself comfortable and sits on Simon's bed.

"It started right after we stopped going on tour," Simon begins, shifting to make himself warm underneath a blanket. "I guess Nathan realized that even though I was as big a superstar as you were, I was an unwanted freak… It started out verbally - he'd call me a faggot every time he would see me in the hallway, tell me how much of a waste of space I was… About a year ago was when he had started getting physical with me, especially because he found out something about me that I've hidden for a very long time…"

Alvin gives Simon a consoling shoulder rub. "What did he find out, Simon?"

Simon immediately gulps, desperately wanting to hide.

"It's okay, Simon," Alvin says in reassurance. "You know you can tell me anything and I won't judge you even if it's really weird."

Before continuing with his story, Simon takes a deep breath. "Nathan found out that… I was pansexual."

Alvin sits in silence, shocked and dumbfounded.

"Unfortunately, since Nathan doesn't understand what 'pansexual' means, he thinks it's a more elaborate word for 'gay'," Simon explains, his voice faltering a little. "He'd give me wedgies, toss me into dumpsters, and force swirlies onto me on a daily basis." Simon gulps. "I'm just very thankful that he doesn't know that I have a huge crush on someone…"

Of course, this explanation leaves Alvin with only more questions than answers. "Who is it that you're crushing on, exactly?" Alvin asks.

Simon lowers his head and feels his throat start to swell, his nerves at a boiling point. "I'm... I'm afraid to answer that. You're probably... going to hate me if I told you who it was."

Alvin shakes his head. "Simon, you know better than to think I would ever possibly hate you." He gets closer to Simon. "Please just tell me who this person is..."

With all of his internal might, Simon gets the courage to speak. "It's you I have a crush on, Alvin." He starts to breathe at a faster pace. "I don't just have a crush on you - I'm truly and deeply in love with you. I have been for longer than you know."

Silence is all that exists between the two boys, heavily weighing on Simon's heart as he waits for a response from Alvin as blue eyes locked onto silver ones.

Finally, Alvin snaps from his surprised trance and slowly shortens the distance between himself and Simon.

"Simon..." Alvin says in astonishment. "...I had absolutely no idea that you were interested in me... I don't know what to say..."

The response is better than Simon had anticipated, but it still doesn't let him know if Alvin feels the same way.

Gently, Alvin wraps his left arm around Simon's waist and caresses Simon's cheek with his right hand. "You want to know the reason why I did all of those stupid things years ago?" He watches Simon gently nod. "I did all of those stupid things to get attention, but not just anyone's attention - I wanted yours. It wasn't until three years ago when we got out of the spotlight that I realized that being a giant douchebag that pulled pranks all the time wasn't going to get me closer to you."

Simon is amazed by what he's hearing.

"I had an epiphany, Simon - an epiphany that showed me that there was someone who would wait until the end of time for us to find each other and realize that we were meant for each other." He smiled. "I can see now that the person I waited for all along... is you."

Alvin's bright blue eyes met Simon's glittering silver ones again, and they closed the distance between them with a chaste and ever-so-gentle kiss. They stayed like this for a moment until they both slowly broke away, blushes creeping onto their cheeks.

"Those things you said..." Simon finally speaks in a soft tone. "Did you really mean them?"

"Every single word," Alvin answers as he nods. "I love you, Simon."

Simon's heart practically skipped a beat as he smiled. "I love you too, Alvin." He leans in and gives Alvin another chaste kiss on the lips, wrapping his arms around Alvin's waist. He breaks away, smiling and gently holding Alvin's hands. "Thank you again, Alvin. For everything."

Alvin kisses Simon on the forehead. "Of course." He smiles. "Anything for you."

Both boys quietly gaze out the window to see that the sun is setting.

"Well, isn't that ironic?" Simon asks rhetorically. "One cycle ends just as another begins."

Alvin rolls his eyes and chuckles.

Simon speedily turns to face Alvin again. "What? There's absolutely nothing wrong with being poetic."

"You know, you're so damn sophisticated sometimes. It's cute."

The second that the word 'cute' comes out of Alvin's mouth, Simon blushes profusely.

Attempting to change the subject, Simon quickly looks at the clock above his flat-screen television. "Holy crap, it's not even one o'clock yet."

"Really?" Alvin asks looking at the clock to see if Simon's right. "Damn... What the hell are we gonna do all day since that fight got us out of school for the rest of the day?"

Simon tries to think of a good idea right after the question is asked. "Well, I guess we could-"

"Please don't say we could go back to school," Alvin interrupts. "You and I both know that you deserve a break. Plus, it's Friday - there's no pressure to find out what you missed."

He _does_ have a point...

"I suppose you're right," Simon says as he leans back against his stack of pillows. "What do you suggest we do, then?"

"Well, tonight's movie night..." Alvin starts to answer. "We could either go to the den and look through our huge DVD collection, or we could head out to the movie theater if there's anything you want to see."

Simon leans his head down slightly, debating the two options. "Let's just stay in tonight - less money spent."

Alvin nods. "Good call. Let's go set up a sleepover downstairs in the den, shall we?"

With a smile and a quick spring up from the bed, Alvin and Simon head straight downstairs to the den for movie night hand-in-hand.


End file.
